Here's the centerpice of my collection:
This set of photos belonged to OL.z.S Gerhard Peters who served as IIWO and IWO onboard U-410 and was later in command of U-1198.
Leutnant Peters with (probably) his mother. He was the original owner of these photos.
23 February 1942 - Danziger Werft A.G., Danzig. U-410 just prior to her commissioning ceremony. Note the temporary bow cap to protect the boat from the ice. In the background, two unfinished boats are visible beneath wooden structures that conceal them from aerial observation.
High ranking officers and yard officials attending the commissioning ceremony
The crew standing in formation on deck. On the far right is the Commander, Kapitänleutnant Kurt Sturm. First man in the row to the left of Sturm is Oberleutnant (Ing.) Friedrich Rachnerthe, the LI; behind him is IWO Alois König and at the back is IIWO Gerhard Peters. The man to the left of the LI may be Obersteuermann Fritz Ufermann.
The crew is assembled on deck moments before the start of the commissioning ceremony
The crew at parade rest, the ceremony is about to begin.
The crew and guests salute as the boat is placed in commission. Gerhard wrote on the back "Hoist flag and pennant. I stand on the left of the front row". Note the UAK symbol on the conning tower
7 August 1943 - La Spezia. Oberleutnant zur See Horst Arno Fenski addresses his crew moments before U-410 leaves for it's fifth patrol. Fenski sank two Liberty ships from Convoy UGS-14 for a total of 14,436 tons during this 24 day patrol.
While searching thorugh ubootwaffe.net I arrived at U-410 file and discovered a set of photos uploaded by Detlef Gerisch. These photos showed his father, Hans Gerisch, who served onboard said boat and later on U-385. When I checked my photos I discovered that Hans Gerisch was also in my photos! (shorterst man in line in the commissioning photos) So thanks to Hubertus from Ubootwaffe.net I got in contact with Detlef, he told me that his father was still alive and willing to communicate with me through email, you wouldn't believe my joy! So for almost five years now we've been exchanging emails and this July I'm going to meet him and Detlef when I visit them in their hometown of Angermünde (as part of my trip to visit the european battlefields). This is really the greatest satisfaction this hobby has given me.
These photos and the rest of the set were auctioned on Ebay more than five years ago, and since then I've been trying to get the photos I'm missing. If you have any or know someone who has them I'm willing to pay the price for them!